June 25, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Members of United Steelworkers District 10 met June 10 with State Sen. Nick Pisciotanno. (Submitted photo courtesy State Sen. Nick Pisciottano)
Leaders of the United Steelworkers union are putting their support behind a proposed bill from a local legislator to shore up the future of steelmaking in Pennsylvania.
The Fueling Opportunities for the Revitalization, Growth, and Efficiency of Steel Act — “FORGES” — was announced last month by State Sen. Nick Pisciottano, West Mifflin Democrat, who is seeking co-sponsors.
Although it has not yet been introduced officially, it has attracted support from three state legislators — including State Rep. John Inglis of West Mifflin.
The bill would create incentives to support the steel industry in Pennsylvania, including sales tax exemptions for the use of Pennsylvania-made steel as well as tax credits for upgrades to Pennsylvania steelmaking facilities.
“I think it’s very important,” said Bernie Hall, director of USW District 10, based in North Versailles Twp. “The best part of the bill is that it brings the steel industry into the state budget conversation.”
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June 24, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School Board has approved a 2025-26 budget that holds the line on taxes.
At the June meeting, directors gave their OK to an $86.6 million spending plan that fixes property taxes at 20.96 mills. The vote came after nearly an hour of remarks concerning the end of a three-year financial partnership between the district and the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
Conversation preceding the vote was brief. School Director Josh Lefcowitz praised the efforts of district business manager Joseph Villella and fellow School Director David Seropian in preparing and reviewing the document.
The annual task of passing and approving a budget is a “significant component of the board's responsibilities,” Lefcowitz said before remarking, “I think there should probably be a little bit more discussion around the budget.”
June 24, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
District Solicitor Gary Matta Jr., center, addresses questions from residents as School Board President Mark Holtzman Sr. and School Director Diane Elias look on. (Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
Parents and community leaders this month continued to press McKeesport Area School District officials on the end of a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
At the June school board meeting, several residents asked pointed questions of board members as well as District Solicitor Gary Matta Jr., sometimes shouting them from the audience.
The conversation — lasting more than an hour — dominated the meeting.
Some residents asked whether Matta — whose firm Dodaro, Dalfonso, Matta & Cambest has worked with the McKeesport Area School District, on and off, for three decades — properly advised previous school directors in their dealings with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
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June 20, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Four county pools will be open seven days a week, weather permitting. There is also a spray pad facility in Round Hill Park, Elizabeth Twp., shown here. (Allegheny County photo)
Allegheny County officials are warning residents to be prepared for dangerous conditions beginning Sunday and are opening cooling centers for people without air-conditioning.
The National Weather Service in Moon Twp. has issued an extreme heat watch beginning Sunday and continuining through Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 90s each day, but the humidity will make it feel more like 100 to 105 degrees, forecasters said.
The county has declared its first-ever Code Red Heat Advisory as a result.
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June 18, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
New McKeesport police cadets currently attending the Allegheny County police academy include Ronnell Hunt, Devin Webb, Jaison Mikelonis, Francis Aguirre, Dontae McCarthy and Matthew Hurst, shown with interim police Chief Josh Alfer and McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko. (Tube City Almanac photo)
McKeesport has promoted a longtime police officer to the department’s command staff and added two new officers from other departments.
In addition, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said six people interested in attending the Allegheny County police academy have been named as cadets and will join the department following the successful completion of their education.
At this month’s meeting, Cherepko asked council to approve the elevation of Sgt. Josh Byers to lieutenant. Byers became a full-time McKeesport police officer following nine years with the Liberty Borough police department.
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June 18, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers union, addresses its constitutional convention in April. (Photo courtesy United Steelworkers)
The president of the union representing production employees at U.S. Steel called the so-called “golden share” awarded to the federal government “startling” and said his organization will hold the company’s new owners accountable for their promises.
David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers International, said that when media scrutiny of the Nippon Steel takeover wanes, the union will remain vigilant.
“As the sale concludes, it seems likely that attention will dissipate,” McCall said in a prepared statement. “U.S. Steel’s PR machine will power down, and the majority of elected officials will turn their attention elsewhere.”
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June 18, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
UPDATED: Adds comments from Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1873 and forms the nucleus of what is now called the Mon Valley Works. (Mark Dixon photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons)
Japan-based Nippon Steel and Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel announced Wednesday morning that they have agreed to a deal that will preserve the company’s headquarters in Pittsburgh and commit to $11 billion of investment in American steel-making and mining facilities.
The almost $15 billion deal also gives the federal government a seat on U.S. Steel’s board of directors. In addition, it will require consent from the President of the United States on certain operating decisions, including moving jobs out of the U.S. Both sides are calling the agreement a “golden share” for the government.
Trading of U.S. Steel shares was halted at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange, and the stock will be delisted from the exchange June 30.
The final listed market price of U.S. Steel stock was $54.84 per share, roughly double the price in September 2024, when the Nippon Steel takeover seemed to be in jeopardy. Both then-President Biden and Donald Trump, running for re-election, had vowed to stop the deal.
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June 17, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
An unidentified teen-ager is in critical condition after being struck by a car Tuesday night on Lysle Boulevard, Downtown.
Allegheny County police said the victim was attempting to cross the boulevard near the Coursin Street intersection in front of a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus when he was struck by a car traveling in the left lane.
The accident happened just before 7 p.m., police said. The driver of the car remained at the scene and was questioned by police. The victim, 15, was taken to the hospital by ambulance, emergency personnel said.
The Allegheny County homicide and collision reconstruction team is investigating, police said. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
June 17, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News
An anonymous call to a police tip line led to the arrest of a Duquesne man in connection with a fatal shooting in a local bar on Friday night.
Marvin P. Harpool, 51, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bond pending a preliminary hearing June 27 after Allegheny County police charged him with shooting to death Tywone McClain, 26, of Duquesne inside a club in the 700 block of Grant Avenue.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Allegheny County night court, just after 11:30 p.m. Friday, McClain was arguing with another bar patron when a man identified by police as Harpool allegedly intervened.
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June 17, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
I really hate asking for money, but we’re at a critical point.
Here’s the bottom line: Look at the readership figures above.
If everyone who reads our website had given us $1 last year, we would never need to run advertising. But in reality, only a small percentage of people ever donates — usually as a thank-you for posting a death notice.
If it wasn’t for support for a few faithful donors — among them, the G.C. Murphy Co. Foundation, the Bill Persson family, the Flynn Family Foundation, Larry and Rikki Berger, and Eric and Judy Wisniewski — we’d be in big trouble.
As it is, we’ve taken two big financial hits recently. Our advertising revenue has dropped by about $100 per month after we responded to complaints by limiting the number of ads you see. And one of our longtime donors says they need to cut back their support by about $100 per month.
At the same time, our expenses have gone dramatically up. We are working to move our websites to a new server and as a result, our webhosting cost has already increased $1,200 — and we haven’t moved yet.
Royalties for playing music have gone up about 40 percent. We also now must pay for a service to file reports with the royalty-collecting organizations — that’s costing us $50 per month. (You may have noticed that several local Internet radio stations have gone out of business because they can no longer afford the costs.)
Add all of that up — we need to raise another $500 a month or so, or we’re not going to be able to continue. We have a small reserve fund right now but it’s not going to last.
If you are financially able, and would like to make a gift, please consider doing so.
Donations may be made by check or money order to:
Tube City Community Media Inc.
P.O. Box 94
McKeesport PA 15134
Or via PayPal at: http://www.tubecityonline.com/contact/
I think what we do is important. I think that other people do, as well. Last year, we were honored by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania with the “Service to Journalism” award. Two of our reporters received separate awards for their work.
Five years ago, we were singled out by Columbia Journalism Review and asked to contribute monthly pieces about local news coverage, which were later collected into a book called “American Deadline.”
If you think this is important — even if you just visit our obituaries page every day — we very much could use your support. We pay reporters $50 to $100 per story. Your $50 or $100 gift goes directly to paying for their work — I don’t take any kind of payment from this website, and neither do any of our board members or officers.
If we could raise an extra $5,000 to $10,000 this year, we’d be OK.
We are recognized as a tax-exempt organization by the Internal Revenue Service, so your gift may be tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.
If you have a business that is looking to make a contribution, or if you have a charitable foundation that could donate money to help us, please reach out.
Thank you for your continued support of our organization.
